Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X #3)

Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hellbent is the 3rd book in the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz. Now, I have seen a few reviews from readers that have been lukewarm on this book. I must be the exception because I think this 3rd entry in the series is the best to date.
Why? Well, in Hellbent we see much more of what makes Evan Smoak tick. We also see an Evan Smoak that is vulnerable and a little unsure of himself and his situation at times. I found this Orphan X more complex and more human. For once I didn't see his penthouse fortress as cool, but I saw it as cold and impersonal. The only conversation Evan has is with a cactus right?
Hellbent picks up after The Nowhere Man with Van Sciver still on the hunt for X. But this time Van Sciver Hasan ace up his sleeve in the form of X's mentor, Jack Johns. Johns is kidnapped and X is forced to watch his mentors tragic death. Which means only one thing. X must get revenge.
Through a cryptic note left for X by Johns, Evan makes his way to a location to retrieve a package left for him by Jack. But the package turns out to be not an it but a she. A teenage girl named Joey who washed out of Orphan training and us now in danger of being eliminated by Van Sciver as well.
The interplay between Evan and Joey is classic with each gradually learning from the other.
Twists and turns as well as some surprises await, but this third entry is well worth the read. Long live Evan Smoak!

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